1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to skates, such as roller skates and ice skates, and more particularly, to a self-contained, battery-powered light attached to such skates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Attaching bright colored lights to the bottom of skates is desirable for several reasons. First, such lights can help to light the path of the skater; and, second, such lights are eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing to observers. In addition, when skating takes place after dark, the lights serve as safety lights to be viewed by others such as motorists and bicycle riders.
Lights associated with roller skates are well known in the art. Generally, these lights are of two types. One type provides for an illuminated wheel. Another type provides for a light associated with the body of the skate.
The following United States patents disclose lights associated with a roller skate wheel: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,789,208 to Lewis, 4,363,502 to Bakerman, 4,648,610 to Hegyi, and Des. 268,195 to Kalish. Illuminated wheels provide an interesting aesthetic effect. Rotating lights, associated with rotating wheels, are aesthetically pleasing. However, with respect to the illuminated wheels a number of problems present themselves. Wheels are the predominant receivers of road or surface shock as roller skates are used. As such, a wheel must be made to be durable and shock resistant. It is difficult to provide inexpensive and practical sources of illumination that are sufficiently durable and shock resistant to withstand the shocks that roller skate wheel endure. In this respect, it would be desirable if a skate had rotating lights that did not have to endure the intense road shocks that illuminated wheels endure.
The following patent discloses a skate light associated with the body of the skate: U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,515 to Beard. This patent appears to disclose a self-contained, battery-powered light in the form of a plurality of light emitting diodes in a housing which is connected to an attachment that is attached to the toe stop of the roller skate. Although this device provides a skate light that is not contained in a rolling wheel, there are a number of shortcomings associated with this device. First, not all skates have a toe stop. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a skate light that does not require a toe stop for connecting the light to the skate.
Although the light emitting diodes provided with the Beard patent may provide interesting light effects, they do not provide a rotating light such as present with rotating, illuminated wheels. Therefore, it would be desirable if a rotating skate light were provided that is attached to the body of the skate.
There are many kinds of skates with many types of structural designs. Many people who currently possess such skates would like to have skates that have lights, but they would prefer not to have to buy new skates just for the purpose of providing illumination. In this respect, it would be desirable, therefore, if a skate light could be retrofitted to virtually any skate, regardless of the specific structural design of the skate.
The variety of sensory effects that are provided by visible skate lights may be added to if a sound producing element, such as a tone generator, would be associated with the skate-mounted light source. In this respect, it would be desirable if a skate light assembly included a sound source.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use lights on skates, the provision of a more simple and cost effective device is not contemplated. Nor does the prior art described above teach or suggest a skate that has rotating lights that do not have to endure the intense road shocks that illuminated wheels endure. The prior art does not provide a rotating skate light, attached to the body of the skate, that does not require a toe stop for connecting the light to the skate. Moreover, the prior art does not provide a skate light that can be retrofitted to virtually any skate, regardless of the specific structural design of the skate. In addition, the prior art does not provide a skate light assembly that includes a sound source. The foregoing disadvantages are overcome by the unique skate light apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.